Hand portable sewing-machine



M. PRATT.

HAND PORTABLE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I7. 1920.

1,394,936. I Patented oef. 25, 1921..

7PM II I'l 1 I, e M j '75 Z/ u 15H-ff Inde/Lof UNITED STATES MAUD PRATT,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HAND PORTABLE SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification o1' Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

Application led December 17, 1920. Serial No. 481,354.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MAUD PRATT, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand Portable Sewing-Machines, of which the following is .a specification.

My invention relates generally to improvements in a type of sewingmachine which is adapted to be carried by the hand from place t0 place,and which is usually operated by means of an electric motor. Such amachine as heretofore constructed embodies the elements oflightness,compactness and ready portability but has been open to some objectionswith respect to its use during the sewing operation.

The general object of my invention is to improve the hand portable typeof sewing machine so as to make it generally more eliicient,` and inparticular to provide means whereby the goods to be operated upon orsewed shall be held and supported in a position to secure the bestresults.

It is a further object of my invention to provide mea-ns whereby theabove result can be attained without increasing the weight orappreciably affecting the cost and without affecting the durability orrigidity of the device.

My invention consists generally in the form, arrangement, constructionand coperation of the parts whereby the above named objects, togetherwith others that will appear herein-after are attainable; and myinvention will be more readily understood by referencey to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate what I consider, at the presenttime, to be the preferred embodiment thereof.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand portable sewing machineembodying my invention, the parts being positloned as in carrying themachine.

Fig. 2 is a perspective -illustrative view illustrating a step in thecourse of preparing the hand portable sewing machine for use; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine ready for use.

As here shown, l, re resents what is usually termed the head`o thesewing machine and which is mounted or supported upon a base 2. The base2, as here shown, is of rectangular form and houses certain of theoperating parts of the sewing machine (not shown). The size of the base2 is usually no larger than is necessary properly to support the head 1and the mechanism within the base 2. 3 represents the presser foot ofthe machine and is in the plane in which the needle of the sewingmachine (not shown) operates and in which the sewing is done. Thesewing, therefore, is performed relatively close to the end 5 of thesewlng machine base. The base 2 in use is ordinarily placed upon asurface 6 which is representative of a table or some other suitablesupport.

In using machines of the hand portable type the goods being sewed, inmany of the machines heretofore devised, drags over the end of the basecorresponding to the end 5 of my base and interferes with the sewingoperation. This is particularly objectionable when sewing relativelyheavy cloth. Some attempt has been made to obviate this diiculty suchfor example as by the expedient shown in the Patent to Riddell No.1344718 of June 29, 1920, but this involves certain objections, such asseparate parts which are likely to become misplaced and also involveselements of added cost, weight and multiplicity of parts which aresomewhat objectionable.

In my construction I provide a combined cover end and drop shelf orsupport 7 which is hingedly secured, as indicated at 8, to the end ofthe base 2 of the machine. The upper surface 8 of the combined cover endand support is in the same plane as the upper surface 9 of the base,.and therefore, forms an unbroken continuation thereof when the member 7is in the horizontal position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This forms anideal support for goods being sewed and makes practicable the use of theportable machine even upon a table or other support which is no largerthan the base 2 of the sewing machine. It also assists very greatly inthe successful use of the machine even when placed upon a relativelylarge table, asin either event it removes all tendency of the cloth orother goods to drag upon the 'needle 'and thus -interfere with the freeand proper functioning of the stitching mechanism. This also forms asupport for the arm when threading the needle.

Being a hand portable machine it is essential that the weight-of thedevice as a whole be kept down to the lowest possible minimum. Thismeans that the parts must be made of as thin material as is possiblewithout sacriiicing features of strength and durability. Thel head ofthe machine, and the mechanism mounted in the base 2, is

y necessarily of considerable weightas a large handle and with means forsecuring same to the base of the machine so that the device, as a whole,may be carried .about by the hand.

I likewise provide means to this end, and as here shown, such meanstakes the formo a substantially U-shaped cover portion 10,

which is open at one end, and which is closed at the other end by theportion 11 which is a rigid or integral part of the portion. 10.

That is to say the portions 10 and 11. are so firmly secured together asin effect to be integral in form. This enables great rigidity even inmaterial of little weight. As here shown, the base is provided withrecesses 12 for the reception of the tongue portions 13 of the cover.Thus to place the cover upon the base the handle 14 is grasped and theportion to which it is attached is moved longitudinally of the base sothat the tongues 13 enter the said recesses 12 as is well shown by meansof dotted lines in Fig. 3. To close the other end of the cover, so as toform a complete closure, the member-7 is -swung upward y to the positionshown in Fig. 1 in' which posi! tion it is locked to the other parts ofthe machine cover by means of the latch 15 which co-acts with the latchmember 16 (shown by means of dotted lines in Fig. 3). This lockingconstruction may vary in detail and is essentially only mechanism whichwill rigidly x the member 7 to the remainder of the cover portion. Whenthe device is in the form shown in Fig. 1 it appears much as anordinaryhand ortable machine of the type heretofore emp oyed; has allthe strength and rigidity thereof; may therefore be carried aboutwithout danger of the parts shaking about vand becoming loose; is nogreater in weight than other similarly sized hand portable machines; andcan be quickly and easily made ready for the more eilicient use alreadydescribed. To prepare for use it is but necessary to unlatch thecombined cover end and support 7, swing the same to the horizontalposition shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and then bodily withdraw the remainderof the cover formed by the portions 10 and 11.

The many advantageous characteristics of amy hand portable sewingmachine construction will be apparent to those skilled in this artwithout further comment. I claim 1. The herein described improvements inhand portable sewing machines, embodying therein, a base having a sewingmachine head thereon, a two-part cover for said head and connectedparts, one part being a combined drop leaf and cover end and belnghinged to the base, bein swingable to a horizontal position to .lie ushwith said` base and form va continuation of the top surface of the base,and being swingable to a vertical position to co-act with and form anend closure for the other cover part, said other cover part hav li)ngmeans for detachably connecting it to the ase.

2. The herein described improvements in hand portable sewing machines,embodying therein, a base having a sewingmachine head thereon, atwo-part cover for said head and connected parts, one part being acombined drop leaf and cover end and being hinged to the base, beingswingable to a horizontal position to lie flush with said base and forma continuation of the top surface of the base, and being swingable to avertical position, to co-act with and form an end closure for the othercover art, said other cover part having means or detachably connectingit to the base, and means for securing the cover parts together whensaid hinged part is in a vertical position.

3. The herein described improvements in hand portable sewing machines,embodying therein, a base having a sewing machine head thereon, atwo-part cover for said head and connected parts, one part being acombined drop leaf and cover -end and being hinged to one end of thebase, being swingable to a horizontal position to lie flush with saidbase and form a continuation of the top surface of the base, and beingswingable to a vertical position to co-act with and form an end closurefor the other cover part, said other cover part having means fordetachably connecting it to the base.

4:. The hereln described improvements in hand portable sewing machine,embed ing therein, a base having a sewing machine ead thereon, atwo-part cover for said head and' connected parts, one part being acombined drop leaf and cover end and bemg hinged to one end of the base,being swingable to a horizontal position to lie flush with said base andform a continuation of the top surface of the base, being swingable toavertical position to coact with and form an end closure for the othercover part, said other cover part having means for detachably connectingit to the base, and means for securing the cover parts together whensaid hinged part is in a vertical position.

5. In the herein described improvements in hand portable sewing machinesembodying therein a base having a sewing machine head thereon, a twopart cover for said head and connecting parts, one part being a combineddrop leaf and cover end being hinged to the base and being swingable toa horizontal positionto form an extension of the base and beingswingable to a vertical position to coact and form an end closure wallfor the other cover part, and means for detachably connecting said othercover part to the base and detachable coupling means between said othercover part and the drop v leaf.

hand portable Sewing machines,

6. The herein described improvements in embodying thereln, a base havinga sewing machine head thereon, means for covering said head andconnected parts, said means comprising a cover portion substantiallyU-shaped in cross section, means for detachably securing same to saidbase, and a combined cover end and drop leaf, means for securing thecombined coverl end and drop leaf to the end of the base to enableswinging movement to a horizontal position flush with the base, therebyforming a continuation of the upper surface of the base, and to avertical position to form an end closure for said substantially U-shapedcover portion.

7. The herein described improvements in hand portable sewing machines,embodying therein, a base having a sewing machine head thereon, meansfor covering said head and connected parts, said means comprising acover portion substantially U-sliaped` in cross section, means fordetachably securing same to said base, a combined cover end and dropleaf, means for securing the combined cover end and `drop leaf to theend of the base to enable swinging movement to a horizontal positionflush with the base, thereby forming a continuation of the upper surfaceof the base, and to a vertical position to form an end closure for saidsubstantially U-shaped cover portion, and a lock for securing the coverparts together.

8. The herein described improvements in portable sewing machinescomprising a base having a sewing machine head thereon, a cover for saidhead, said cover having an end wall removed, means for detachablyconnecting the cover to the base, a drop leaf member hingedly connectedto the base and adapted to form an extension thereof when disposed inhorizontal position, said drop leaf being Swingable to a verticalposition to form an end closure wall for the cover and means forconnecting the drop lea-f member to the cover when said drop leaf memberis in vertical position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 111thl day ofDecember, A. D. 1920.

MAUD PRATT.

